The Otago Regional Council will drop the GoBus branding for its public transport services following the arrival of Hamilton-based Go Bus Transport Ltd in Dunedin.
Go Bus Transport now operates bus services previously run by Invercargill Passenger Transport (IPT) as Dunedin Passenger Transport-CitiBus in the city.
Council corporate services director Wayne Scott said in a report to the finance and corporate committee at the time the council's GoBus trademark was registered, Go Bus Transport was only operating in the North Island.
''Go Bus have continued to operate under the IPT banner in Otago primarily because of the agreement reached at the time ORC registered the GoBus trademark in Otago.''
The restriction on the use of the GoBus trademark was only for contracted services.
Now the company was operating in Dunedin, there was the potential for confusion between Go Bus Transport and the council's GoBus network brand, he said.
It did not affect passengers' bus cards as they were branded Go Cards.
Buses running on council-contracted services had GoBus stickers next to their doors to identify the council service, but Go Bus Transport was keen to remove those brands to avoid that confusion, Mr Scott said. The other bus company operating public services, Ritchies Transport, was also not keen to continue using the name on their buses.
''Go Bus have, as a courtesy to council, held off rebranding their school and charter fleet to allow council time to consider the issue.''
Given the council was about to reprint its timetable, it was a good time to withdraw its use of the GoBus brand and a ''suitable agreement'' be entered into with Go Bus Transport for the council's surrender of the trademark, Mr Scott said.
Go Bus Transport had offered to repaint its urban fleet in their company livery - white with a green and an orange stripe - within 12 months.
